New pacemaker may help more syncope patients

Cardiologists from St Mary’s Hospital, London, have become the first in the world to implant a new generation of pacemaker that could help more people with syncope than current pacemakers.

In patients in whom the heart rate drops dramatically before the fainting episode, traditional pacemakers are well established as a good form of therapy. But most patients with recurrent syncope do not experience any clear fall in heart rate ahead of a fainting episode.

The new Biotronik Cylos 990 pacemaker, may help these patients by detecting early changes in the body’s control systems ahead of a fainting episode and then working to prevent the fainting episode. The pacemaker also contains a chip enabling remote follow-up of the patient at home. “This way of supporting pacemaker patients in their everyday lives is the future of cardiac device care,” said Professor Richard Sutton, who carried out the first implant with the new device.